Certain work vehicles, such as agricultural vehicles (e.g., harvesters, combines, tractors, etc.), industrial vehicles such as construction vehicles (e.g., loaders, bulldozers, excavators, etc.) and forestry vehicles (e.g., feller-bunchers, tree chippers, knuckleboom loaders, etc.), and military vehicles (e.g., combat engineering vehicles (CEVs), etc.) to name a few, can be equipped with elastomeric endless tracks that enhance their traction and floatation on soft, slippery and/or uneven grounds (e.g., soil, mud, sand, ice, snow, etc.) on which they operate.
One type of elastomeric endless track comprises an inner side including a plurality of drive/guide projections, commonly referred to as “drive/guide lugs”, which are spaced apart along its longitudinal direction and used for driving and/or guiding the track around wheels of a vehicle to which the track provides traction.
Very often, a main factor reducing the track's useful life is wear or other deterioration (e.g., deformation) of the drive/guide lugs. For example, as they move relative to the wheels of the vehicle, the drive/guide lugs come into contact with (e.g., impact and/or rub or otherwise frictionally contact) one or more of these wheels and this contact can wear or otherwise deteriorate their elastomeric material (e.g., rubber). Over time, such contact deteriorates the drive/guide lugs, possibly to a point where the drive/guide lugs are so deteriorated that the track can no longer be used efficiently and has to be repaired or replaced. In some cases, such deterioration of the drive/guide lugs can occur although a carcass of the track remains in acceptable condition. In other words, the drive/guide lugs can deteriorate at a significantly greater rate than the carcass of the track.
This type of elastomeric endless track also comprises a ground-engaging outer side including a plurality of traction projections, sometimes referred to as “traction lugs”, which are spaced apart along its longitudinal direction to enhance traction on the ground. Wear or other deterioration of the traction lugs may become significant enough to force replacement of the track even though the track's carcass is still in acceptable condition.
For these and other reasons, there is a need to improve elastomeric endless tracks for traction of vehicles.